Govt to establish ZAB Medical College in Peshawar

PESHAWAR - Keeping in view the scarcity of public sector medical colleges in the province, the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government has planned to establish Zulfikar Ali Bhutto Medical College, Peshawar, at the cost of Rs 400 million. The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Health Department has prepared PC-1 and would be presented in the provincial working development party meeting in the next few days. The construction would cost Rs 400 million in which Rs 350 million have been allocated for hostels and purchasing of different medical equipments. It has been decided that Lady reading hospital Peshawar will be the teaching hospital for this medial college. The teaching staff will also be appointed from the hospital while its construction would be started from the ongoing year of 2012. It may be mentioned here that Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province already facing shortage of public sector medical institution while the under construction project was of one of the timely needed plane to complete as soon as possible. Currently Khyber Medical College, Ayub Medical College, Saidu Medical College, Bannu Medical College and Gomal Medical colleges are prominent public sector medical institutions of the province.Meanwhile, Tribal Areas Chamber of Commerce and Industry (TAACI) elected unopposed twelve members of its executive body for next two years.The TACCI has elected unopposed executive body members for 2011-13, and 2014 including Mohamamd Akbar Khan Advocate, Zubair Ali, Senator Hidayatullah, Shahid ur Rehman, Sohail Khan Shinwari, Mohammad Ibrahim, Siraj Khan, Waqar Ali, Arbab Mohammad Farooq, Tehmas Khan, Rahatullah, Ahmad Mustafa, a press release issued here on Tuesday said.On the occasion, the body newly elected members vowed that they would play their role for promotion of industrial activities in Federally Administered Tribal Areas and Provincial Administered Tribal Areas (PATA). “A proactive strategy will be pursued for revival of trade and industrial activities and generation of employment opportunities by ending present unrest situation”, the members said.The members further added they would take every possible step to introduce local manufacturing products of Fata and Pata in international market, while bringing back the foreign investment in the region.On the occasion, the Chamber president, Fayyaz Ali congratulated the newly executive body members, said that the country was facing enormous financial crunch and industries and trade activities have been sharply declined in the current energy crisis and unrest situation in Fata and Pata. “The business and trade activities had also adversely affected in the present circumstances”, he added.Fayyaz criticised that the government did not take any proactive step for revival of business, trade and industrial sector in militancy-hit tribal areas, because of which the situation was going from bad to worse with each passing day due to huge unemployment in the unrest situation. He called upon the newly elected members of executive body to play their due role for reenergising trade, business and industrial activities in tribal region. The chamber would extend every possible support in this regard, he added.

This news was published in The Nation newspaper. Read complete newspaper of 29-Aug-2012 here.